Vietnam Basketball Association
Current season, competition or edition: 2023 VBA season | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| First season | 2016 |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Continent | FIBA Asia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Saigon Heat (4th title) |
| Most titles | Saigon Heat (4 titles) |
| Official website | vba.vn |
The Vietnam Basketball Association, abbreviated as VBA, is a Vietnamese national professional basketball league founded in 2016. It runs an annual tournament, the Vietnam Pro Basketball League (Vietnamese: Giải Bóng rổ Chuyên nghiệp Việt Nam).[1]
History[edit]
The formation of the VBA was announced by charter team Saigon Heat following their completion of the 2015–16 ASEAN Basketball League season.[1] Leading up to the inaugural season, the VBA expected that six teams would compete in the new league.[2] However, only five teams were officially unveiled. To oversee league operations, the VBA looked to the Philippines for personnel with extensive basketball experience.[3] Tonichi Pujante was named the inaugural league commissioner.[4]
Teams[edit]
The VBA started its inaugural season with five teams. The Thang Long Warriors was added as the sixth team in the 2017 season,[5] followed by the Nha Trang Dolphins as the seventh in the 2020 season.[6]
| Team | Based in | Home venue | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantho Catfish | Ninh Kiều District, Cần Thơ | Cần Thơ Multi-purpose Sports Arena | 2016 |  Jordan Collins
| |
| Danang Dragons | Hải Châu District, Đà Nẵng | Quân Khu 5 Sports Arena | 2016 | Todd Purves
| |
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Hai Bà Trưng District, Hà Nội | Bách Khoa Sports Arena | 2016 | Erik Rashad
| |
| Ho Chi Minh City Wings | District 3, Ho Chi Minh City | Hồ Xuân Hương Sports Arena | 2016 | Erik Olson
| |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Nha Trang City, Khánh Hòa | Nha Trang University Sports Arena | 2020 |  Predrag Lukic
| |
| Saigon Heat | District 7, Ho Chi Minh City | CIS Sports Arena | 2011 | 2016 | Matthew van Pelt
|
| Thang Long Warriors | Tây Hồ District, Hà Nội | Tây Hồ Arena | 2017 | Chris Daleo
| |
Regular season and playoffs[edit]
Following the summer break, the preseason typically begins in May. During this period, the teams build their 13–16-man rosters, with each team allowed to carry one foreign, two overseas Vietnamese, and 10 to 13 local players.[2] The VBA regular season begins at the start of June and runs until the end of September. Each team plays 12 games, divided between six home and six away matches. At the end of the regular season, the league's overall leader is awarded the Fans' Shield.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the playoffs begin. In the inaugural season, all teams are eligible for the tournament style playoffs. However, the teams that finish in the #4 and #5 seeds must meet each other in a wildcard game to proceed to the playoffs. The winner of the game meets the #1 seeded team. From the 2017 season onwards, there are six teams, and the wildcard game is scrapped. #1 will play #4 and the #2 seeded team meets the #3 seeded team in a best-of-three series. The winners then progress to the VBA finals.
Results by year[edit]
| Season | Finalists | Losing semi-finalists | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Results | Runner-up | ||||
| 2016 | Danang Dragons | 2 | 0 | Ho Chi Minh City Wings | Saigon Heat | Hanoi Buffaloes |
| 2017 | Thang Long Warriors | 3 | 2 | Cantho Catfish | Saigon Heat | Hanoi Buffaloes |
| 2018 | Cantho Catfish | 3 | 0 | Hanoi Buffaloes | Saigon Heat | Thang Long Warriors |
| 2019 | Saigon Heat | 3 | 2 | Cantho Catfish | Ho Chi Minh City Wings | Thang Long Warriors |
| 2020 | Saigon Heat | 3 | 1 | Thang Long Warriors | Cantho Catfish | Hanoi Buffaloes |
| 2022 | Saigon Heat | 3 | 0 | Hanoi Buffaloes | Ho Chi Minh City Wings | Nha Trang Dolphins |
| 2023 | Saigon Heat | 3 | 1 | Nha Trang Dolphins | Hanoi Buffaloes | Thang Long Warriors |
Champions[edit]
| Team | Champions | Runners-up | Total | Champion year | Runner-up year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saigon Heat | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 | - |
| Danang Dragons | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2016 | - |
| Thang Long Warriors | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2017 | 2020 |
| Cantho Catfish | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2018 | 2017, 2019 |
| Ho Chi Minh City Wings | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 2016 |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 2023 |
| Hanoi Buffaloes | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | 2018, 2022 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Hodge, Harry. "Vietnam is getting a pro basketball league". saigoneer.com. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ a b "VN Basketball Association seeks US-based basketballers". vietnamnet.vn. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Vietnam looking for Filipino commissioner, coaches for maiden professional cage league". spin.ph. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Letter from VBA Commissioner - Tonichi Pujante". vba.vn. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "The sixth VBA team Thang Long Warriors just revealed their logo". aseansports.com. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ "Vietnam pro basketball league to start in May with extra team". vnexpress.net. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Vietnam Basketball Association on Facebook
- Vietnam Basketball Association on Instagram
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